Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre visited the Halls of Justice Project site on Thursday, November 20, to review the progress being made on the construction site ahead of the December 1 election.
The Halls of Justice Project, initiated by the current administration, is being built under a Build Own Lease Transfer (BOLT) agreement between the government and Themis LTD, a subsidiary of NH International. Official sources indicate that the total project cost is set at a fixed price of EC$143 million. Themis LTD is financing 100% of the project costs, including office furniture, filling systems and Information and Communication Technology systems. (ICT)
In turn, the Government of Saint Lucia will enter a lease for the facilities “for a period not exceeding 12 years”, following which, the ownership of the Halls of Justice will be transferred to the people of Saint Lucia.
Pierre indicated that he was “very impressed” with the work being done on the site, highlighting “a mix of people from CARICOM” as part of the workforce. He further emphasised that this centralised location will serve as the official home of the judiciary in Saint Lucia.
“I know that this building is needed by the people of Saint Lucia,” he said. “We have our courts in all different areas. They complain about mould. They complain [that] sometimes you can have no court because something’s wrong with the building. So we’re going to be putting all our courts, all our legal things, and all the things that deal with the judiciary in one building.”
The Prime Minister further stated that the investment model used by his government is more beneficial than the arrangements typically found in state department housing agreements. He noted that the lease structure allows the country to gain full ownership of the property after a specified period.
“It’s an investment in Saint Lucia, because after a number of years, that building is going to belong to the people of Saint Lucia,” Pierre said. “We’re not going to be renting. We’re not going to be paying anybody’s mortgage for them so that they can pay their mortgage over and over and over and build another building and rent again and pay their mortgage over and over again. This building is going to belong to the people of Saint Lucia after a few years. And further, this building is going to be maintained for the time that we are paying the lease…Other places that we rent, it never becomes ours…It’s an investment that will pay off because it has a return. When you rent from people, you only give them money to build more buildings.”
The project is being spearheaded under the directorship of civil engineer John Peters. Peters, who has had a long career and has worked on both public and private sector projects in Saint Lucia. During the site visit, Peters gave an update on the work done.
“We have completed the ground floor of the annexe building, which will house all of the criminal courts,” he said. “We are progressing well on the foundation for the main building, which will house all of the commercial courts, the family court and the civil courts…hoping that we would finish up to the first floor level or the second floor level before the end of the year.
“We have had our challenges with the weather, particularly, but here I would say that we have been able to overcome some of the challenges that we have faced, and we push along to ensure completion within the two-year time frame.”
